BY K. REKA BADGER

Duringthefleetingreignof2009,“Eats”hastakenarmchairspinstotheWorldofPinotNoir,achilicook-offinNipomo,andarousingperformanceofPCPA’sLes Misérables.We’veexploredflavorfulscoopsatMcConnell’sIceCreamCafé,welcomednewownersatCoffee&Company,andgot-tentoknowasingingchef.Andaftercon-templatingthebrewsatLompoc’sFlowerFestivalbeergarden,wediscoveredthatrealmendocook. Here’salookatafewotherstand-outmoments,offeredwithhighhopesthat2010deliversanequallygenerousmeasureoffinewine,fabulousfood,andold-fashionedcommunityspirit.❍

Wish K. Reka Badger a happy new year at rekabadger@hotmail.com.

The whole pie: March rolled around to find Pi-Whole Pizza—complete with lava lamps and a volcano-themed menu—in a spacious new location in Nipomo’s Adobe Plaza. Serving White Hot Pastrami Bombs, salads, and fresh, homemade pizzas, owner Phil Silver (pictured with his daughter-in-law Jacque) happily promised, “More pi, more whole!”

20092009Year in Review

To the Core: To showcase their four labels, Dave and Becky Corey (Becky is pictured) opened the CORE Wine Company tasting room over Labor Day weekend, adding another bright spot to Orcutt’s wine scene. With a history in the area that dates to 1873, the Coreys wel-come tasters to stop in, check out the family museum display, and linger a while over a sip—or a bottle—of wine.

Savor 2009Itwasatastefulyear

FILE PHOTO BY K. REKA BADGER

PHOTO BY K. REKA BADGER

PHO

TO COURTESY ATARI-YA

PHOTO BY K. REKA BADGER

Quarter century: Atari-Ya, Santa Maria’s popular Japanese restau-rant, marked 25 years in business and became the longest-surviving Japanese restaurant under the same ownership in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. In celebration, owner Keiko Yoshino Hongo and her chef and business partner, Yukio Yoshida (pictured), initiated evening happy hours featuring her famous nigiri and maki rolls.

New digs: Foxen Winery unveiled a grand complex, featuring a 12,000-square-foot, solar-powered winery and a visitor center with two tasting bars. Located just down the road from the winery’s beloved “shack” (which remains open to pour Cal-Ital and Bordeaux offerings), Foxen’s new digs brought the winemaking under one roof and the Foxen Boys on the path to a bright future. Pictured are co-owner Dick Dore and architect Vladimir Milosevic.

She’s No. 1: In January, Chris Jones celebrated the publication of One Vintage: A Year in the Vineyard, a meditation on the parallels between daily affairs and the rhythms of a Santa Ynez Valley vineyard. Peppered with color photo-graphs, the book provides an authentic look at wine-grape growing and the challenging, yet often exhilarating, life of a local farmer.

PHOTO COURTESY CHRIS JONES